False Start
by Soraan
Summary: Five years after Alyna has graduated from Farstrider Academy, Sylvanas struggles with her attraction to her young protégé, to disastrous results. Part of the Farstrider Chronicles. Short story. Complete.


**False Start**

The faint whistle caught the ranger-captain's immediate attention, her ears flicking with interest. It had been expected, and she smiled slightly into the dark night. She placed the arrow she had ready back into her quiver, and slung her bow across her back. With practised ease, the lithe elf quietly climbed down the tree she had been on guard duty in, and dropped to the floor before another elf in similar attire to hers. He smiled warmly at her.

"I heard you that time," he teased.

Sylvanas arched a golden eyebrow. "You're not a pretty sight when startled, Tenin." She gave him a warm smile of her own. "Or a particularly quiet one."

He chuckled good-naturedly. Sylvanas was very proud of her skills, particularly of her ability to move silently. She was well known for startling her rangers with her silent approaches, with varying, often amusing, results. She gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder as she walked past him towards their camp. "Have a good watch."

"Uh…"

His hesitation caught her attention, and she turned back to look at him. "Is there a problem?"

Tenin was looking at almost everything but at her. "Problem? No. Just. The others are … busy. So, it's just Alyna at the campfire right now."

Sylvanas slowly blinked at him. Some of her unit were on watch, as Tenin was about to be. The rest were apparently seeking private company with each other. Alyna, her protégé, and the youngest of the unit, had been a source of tension for the captain for the few short years she had been a ranger in her unit.

The stalwart ranger-captain was undeniably attracted to the young woman, and Alyna had certainly been unable to hide her own mutual feelings on the matter. But it was complicated. Alyna was from a powerful family that disapproved of her ranger lifestyle. Everyone was watching Sylvanas, and waiting for either her or Alyna to slip up. This had led to Sylvanas keeping her distance from the young woman, as much as she didn't want to.

And her entire company was aware of all of it, her own unit most of all.

She loved the close-knit life that a ranger unit shared, until situations like this. Everyone was tripping over the attraction between the two women. As a deeply private woman, it frustrated Sylvanas greatly.

The tired ranger-captain pinched the bridge of her nose between two gloved-fingers, and sighed. "I see. Thank you."

She realised she wasn't sure what she was thanking him for. It had felt like the right thing to say, and he accepted it with a look of pity that made her inwardly hate herself.

"Good night, Captain."

She gave him a nod and turned back to the camp. She paused as she reached the treeline, staying hidden. As reported, Alyna was alone. She sat with her back against a log, hugging her knees as she gazed into the fire. Sylvanas closed her eyes and breathed deeply as a pang of yearning flashed through her. It took a few breaths, but she pushed it away.

She felt sorrow replace it, and she berated herself for daring to feel such a thing. How could she feel so bereft about a person she had never even been with? It was ridiculous. The woman was her protégé, not someone for her to bed. She had come such a long way in a precious few years, and a relationship between them could also jeopardise her progress. At least, that was what she constantly told herself. She was doing this for Alyna.

As she opened her eyes, she could see the burgundy-haired beauty was looking right at her. Sylvanas froze momentarily, before relaxing. Somehow, someway, Alyna always knew when Sylvanas was near. As often as the ranger-captain snuck up on her fellow rangers, she had never been able to sneak up on Alyna. It equally frustrated and amazed her. She had confided in a friend about it once, to be told that perhaps Sylvanas wanted Alyna to hear her, and so always made some small sound to alert the woman. But, Sylvanas knew that wasn't the case.

Alyna just knew.

It scared Sylvanas. Every time she looked up to see Alyna looking at her when there was no way for the woman to know she was there, it struck a cord deep inside her, and a quiet voice would become just a little louder.

 _She is your soulmate. It is no use denying it._

Impossible. They were both women, and they were both destined to marry men of similar status for the propagation of their race. As the thought appeared, Sylvanas shuddered.

Rather than dwell on such things, Sylvanas stepped into the clearing, and nodded at Alyna.

Alyna returned the nod, not at all surprised to see her captain exactly where she had felt her to be.

Trying to appear casual, Sylvanas moved over to sit beside the other woman as she would any other of her unit. She removed her quiver and bow, laying them carefully on the ground, before lowering herself to sit with her back against the same log as Alyna was using.

As always, Sylvanas was keenly aware of the young woman's proximity. She could feel the energy passing between them, and she hated it as much as she wanted it. It thrilled her, and filled her with a peaceful contentment she did not have with anyone else. They had spent many nights sitting at campfires throughout southern Quel'Thalas, just talking, and being close.

She had learnt Alyna had a keen awareness for people, even though she was not confident in being social with them. She had been a pariah when she had joined the Farstriders, no one really wanting to get too close to her, just in case they got burnt by her family name. It had hurt Sylvanas to see her so alone. More than once she wondered if she had made a mistake in accepting Alyna's application into the Farstriders, and then into her own unit.

Slowly, however, Alyna had found friends within the unit, and the odd one within the wider company. As she had grown into her talent, she had become more confident. She was gradually accepted by those immediately around her. So much so that Sylvanas had heard the young woman had casually slept with a couple of them over the past couple of years. Rangers only had each other, and they occasionally released certain urges when the need arose. So long as it didn't create any drama, Sylvanas accepted the practice. She had felt crushed when she had been told Alyna had shown interest in it. She had no right to, but she did anyway.

"You seem distracted tonight," came the quiet enquiry.

Sylvanas looked at Alyna apologetically. "Sorry, I guess I am."

Dark-blue eyes looked at the ranger-captain intently. "It should be me apologising. I'm sorry I've made things so difficult for you." The older woman knew she shouldn't be surprised by anything Alyna said or did anymore, but she knew she was gawking at her. Alyna started to stand and gather her things. "Good night, Captain."

Sylvanas finally found her voice. "You're going?" She looked up at Alyna, who suddenly looked tired, and much older than her thirty-two years.

"Is that a problem?"

The ranger-captain felt her mouth open and close. What the hell was wrong with her?

"Yes … I … just … enjoy your company. Our talks." She felt very much at a disadvantage and decided to stand. She faced the slightly shorter woman. She sighed and threaded her fingers through her loose golden hair, pushing her hood down in the process. "You're leaving because of me, and that is unacceptable. Having someone be uncomfortable with me is … I'd rather clear it up."

Unexpectedly, Alyna laughed. Sylvanas narrowed her eyes in confusion.

"You think _I'm_ uncomfortable with _you_?" The young ranger stepped forward into Sylvanas' personal space and looked up at her through her eyelashes. "Which one of us is the uncomfortable one, Sylvanas?"

Sylvanas' nostrils flared as she caught Alyna's scent, the woman being that close. She tried to resist looking down at her, but couldn't, and she felt captivated by the depth of Alyna's dark eyes. She was staring, again. And speechless. The world around them disappeared and all she could see was Alyna.

She didn't object when fingers brushed her cheek, or when they danced along her jaw to slide into her hair. Nor did she pull away when her head was very gently guided forward. It took her mind a few moments to comprehend the moment their lips met, but when it had, she moaned softly. She had wanted this, and now Alyna was here, kissing her.

She felt her knees go weak as Alyna's slow kiss kept going. With care, the younger woman gently guided the overwhelmed ranger-captain to the ground. They sat together, bodies close, and hands gently touching as the kiss continued.

Sylvanas stopped thinking. No words passed between them, and when their lips weren't busy for short periods they sat quietly, enjoying the feel of each other by the fire through gentle caresses. Everything felt happy, the captain realised. Her soul was singing, and she could have sworn her heart had swollen to twice its size.

She heard a twig snap.

Sylvanas sat back suddenly, her eyes darting around for the source. She realised, in shock, that hours had passed.

 _And her rangers had not returned!_

Dread filled her before her mind began processing what she knew. With horror, she grasped the truth. Her rangers _had_ returned, to see their captain kissing her protégé. Rather than interrupt, they had left them alone and were still in the trees.

She felt sick.

 _What had she done?_

She looked up at Alyna, who had quietly watched her captain go through various emotions. "What the hell did you just do?"

Alyna shook her head, her fear hanging off her like a cloak. "You're going to blame me for … what? _Forcing you_?"

"You knew this is not what I wanted! But you seduced me anyway!" she heard herself say. She was trying to keep the conversation quiet, but she knew she sounded half-hysterical.

The young ranger's eyes widened, and the hurt was clear for Sylvanas to see. It was then replaced by anger. Finally, Alyna's face became an emotionless mask like Sylvanas had never seen before.

Sylvanas felt like her stomach had just dropped. She knew she had crossed a line, but she couldn't take it back. Her pride was not about to let her. She stood, and gathered her bow and quiver.

She left the clearing, not looking back at the woman she knew she had just crushed.


End file.
